Far from seeming traumatized by being taken from their homes at the Yearning for Zion Ranch by state officials and held in the group home, they seemed "to handle it like it was a vacation," Colbert said in an interview Monday.

The children arrived at Kidz Harbor April 25. They were among more than 400 children seized by state officials at the Yearning for Zion Ranch because of complaints about underage girls being forced into polygamist marriages with older men.

The children were returned to their parents last week after the Texas Supreme Court ruled that officials had no authority to seize them.

At first the newcomers included several young mothers and their children. Child Protective Services officials referred to them as "disputed mothers," Colbert said.

The older children called CPS the "child persecution service," she said.

After about a month, officials determined that the mothers were adults, and they were released with their infant children.

Kidz Harbor was left with 24 children, from 1 to 10 years old.

The Alvin Independent School District sent two teachers, who set up two classrooms for the older children.

In the two months they were at the group shelter near Liverpool, the children made a lasting impression on the staff.

The children, who have never watched TV, quickly told staff that they didn't like decorations with pretend characters. Tinkerbell and Spider-Man covers were taken off some beds.

All red bedspreads and towels were taken out, Colbert said. "It was the devil's color," she said.

Children soon added their own decorations of signs and drawings. Many were done in classes held at the shelter by the two Alvin teachers.

People flooded Kidz Harbor with gifts, including tricycles and bicycles. "None of them had ever ridden one before," Colbert said. The children quickly learned.

"One girl got so good at the hula hoop that she kept count of how many times she could keep it going around," Colbert said. Her record was 198.

Staff members taught the children games familiar to most other children, like "Red light, green-light," Colbert said.

Used to doing chores, the children were helpful in cleaning their own rooms. "We got them some little kid-sized brooms," Colbert said.

Older children led the group in prayer and religious songs every morning and evening, Colbert said. Parents of the children were allowed to make supervised visits once a week at a CPS office in Angleton.

Colbert declined to comment Monday on how she feels about allegations that FLDS members encouraged young teenage girls to enter into polygamist marriages with much older men.

The staff, meanwhile, was amazed at the outpouring of gifts people made to the shelter. Furniture stores sent beds. Churches and individuals sent money and gift cards.

The reunions between the children and their parents seemed strangely reserved, Colbert said. "I think that's just the way they are," she said.

While the children seemed happy to be going with their parents, many gave staff members goodbye hugs. "It was hard to see them go," Colbert said.

She has gotten a couple of letters from mothers of FLDS children thanking her for the care they received in Brazoria County. She would welcome any of the children back.